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“The business model of journalism is evaporating in real time,” former Forbes reporter and Under 30 alum Jack Brewster told a packed audience of 200 at the Brooklyn Brewery. “I am not going to stand up here and tell you that Newsreel is going to fix democracy, but I will tell you this: I started it because democracy depends on trust, and trust is the scarce resource of the AI age.”

The journalist-turned-founder was celebrating the launch of his new social media-style newsfeed, called Newsreel, at its kick-off event in Brooklyn this week. Newsreel is a scrollable app that publishes stories on topics from politics to pop culture. The articles are produced by Newsreel editors, as well as vetted contributors from various publications, and subject-matter experts. It’s Brewster’s way of getting Gen Z to engage in the most important stories of our lifetimes.

"I felt like there was an opening and a need to build a new platform that would help the next generation, and all generations, connect with quality journalism in formats that they understand,” he told Forbes. Today, it’s backed by $250,000 in funding from angels and American Public Media Group. And they’re in the middle of a $1 million pre-seed round they hope to close this year.

It works like this: When you click on the app, you can scroll through a vertical feed of stories. When you select a story you’re interested in, it brings you to a page with a few sentences explaining “the hook.” Each time you swipe, you see a new slide including a few more sentences going deeper into the piece—including quotes, relevant videos, and even definitions for words or phrases you might not know. At the end, there’s a quiz to check your understanding and a poll asking where you stand.

“We explicitly tell you when you’re done with reading five stories, and we reward you for your time spent,” Brewster says. “The North Star metric is based around completion—like finishing a story, answering polls, answering quiz questions” more so than getting you to keep scrolling, he adds.

The idea for the platform was initially sparked while Brewster was a Fulbright Scholar in Germany researching the emerging global phenomenon of “news avoidance.” When he returned from the program, he wasn’t ready to launch a startup yet, so he went on to report on misinformation at NewsGuard. It was there that Brewster broke a key story about the source of the Haitian migrants “eating cats and dogs” claim that President Donald Trump had shared in a 2024 presidential debate. The day after the 2024 election, Brewster left his role at NewsGuard to officially build Newsreel.

He got a team together of other journalists and advisors. But four months into testing focus groups, iterating the offerings, and vibe coding his way to an MVP, it was time for a technical cofounder. He met Brijesh Tiwari, now the CTO, and the two got to building the platform in full.

Tiwari has helped implement AI features into the platform—which they’re building both proprietarily and on top of open source models. Today, their tools can help edit stories and conduct AP-style fact checking. And on the consumer side, the AI allows readers to raise or lower the reading level, ask the chatbot follow-up questions, and grab definitions on unknown phrases. But Newsreel’s AI models are trained only by Newsreel coverage, so if the bot doesn’t know something, it will simply tell you that—rather than hallucinating an answer.

One of the biggest challenges will, of course, be getting people to download the app. “We are in the behavior business,” Brewster says. “We’re looking to change habits, change people’s lives. And that means we've got to be 10 times better [than the alternative].”

So how do they plan to do it? They’ve signed deals with university libraries around the country (those contracts, plus some AI content licensing deals, are how Newsreel makes its money), hired 50 student ambassadors to spread the word, and are hosting events like their Brooklyn Brewery party—it was their first in the U.S., and they have plans for the U.K., too. From there, they’re hoping word of mouth will do the heavy lifting.

“The problem is bigger than Gen Z not being connected to the news,” Brewster says. “That’s just tiny compared to what I think the real problem is right now... people are fed up with the feeds. They want something different: more meaning when they go online, more intention... The next battle is going to be for critical thinking.”

More next week,

Alex & Zoya

Billions In Prescriptions Go Unfilled. This Startup Is Using AI To Fix That.

Forus reached a $1 billion valuation by dealing with the unglamorous admin work of processing scripts so patients can get the drugs they need. Read more here.

The Local Spotlight: Forbes Under 30 Arizona

We’re bringing you the scoop on a new Under 30 Local community member. Up this week: 2026 Under 30 Arizona lister Amy Bockerstette. A competitive amateur golfer, she’s the first person with Down syndrome to earn a college athletic scholarship and compete in a national championship. Her 2019 round at TPC Scottsdale with PGA pro Gary Woodland drew 60 million views online, and that same year she cofounded the I GOT THIS Foundation to introduce people with intellectual disabilities to golf.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

You’ve broken multiple barriers in golf. What moment made you realize you weren’t just competing, but changing the sport itself?

My first experience of being noticed came in high school through local media when I became the first person with Down syndrome to compete in the Arizona High School State Golf Championship and then again after I became the first to be awarded a college athletic scholarship. But there were two moments in college when I realized that I was making a difference for other people with Down syndrome and hopefully changing the sport.

The first moment happened while I was a freshman in college. Representing Special Olympics Arizona, I made a par from a bunker on the famous 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open. The PGA Tour video spread around the world and millions of people saw a golfer who also has Down syndrome successfully perform on one of golf’s biggest stages. With over 60 million views to date, the WM Phoenix Open and the PGA Tour video showed how important inclusion is in sport.

I quickly realized that this moment was bigger than just one good golf hole. As I traveled around the country, parents of children with intellectual disabilities told me that it changed what they thought was possible for their kids. One mom said to me, “What lifts one, lifts us all.” In addition, golfers often told me they couldn’t imagine handling the pressure that came with playing that hole in front of the stadium crowd. I realized I was helping people see ability differently.

The second moment happened when my Paradise Valley Community College Women’s Golf Team qualified for the NJCAA National Championship. Suddenly, many media outlets shared my story. While I was playing a practice round before the tournament, a family with a young daughter with Down syndrome came to meet me. She was just learning to play golf, and her goal was to play golf in high school, which she eventually did. They saw me as a role model for their daughter, which was very cool. While I was the first person with Down syndrome to play in a college championship, hopefully, more golfers like their daughter will follow.

The phrase “I got this” has become closely associated with you. What does it mean to you today?

“I got this!” means believing in yourself, even when something feels hard or uncomfortable. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about trying your best. It’s about working hard, staying positive, and trusting yourself in the moment. It’s thinking, “You can do this,” and reminds us that we all have a superpower that enables us to do great things.

That 2019 round with Gary Woodland reached tens of millions of people. How did that sudden visibility change your life and your sense of responsibility?

Playing golf with Gary Woodland changed my life overnight. Millions of people learned my story and that par became a message about inclusion, ability and believing in yourself. In that first year, I did many interviews and was invited to 29 different events around the country. I made speeches, played in tournaments and helped nonprofits raise money. To pay it forward, my family launched our own nonprofit, I GOT THIS Foundation, on my 21st birthday, asking family and friends to donate to the foundation as my birthday present.

I soon realized that many families and people with intellectual disabilities saw hope and possibility in that par with Gary Woodland.

You’ve been a trailblazer for athletes with Down syndrome. What were some of the biggest obstacles you faced early on that people might not see from the outside?

The biggest obstacle was overcoming low expectations. Many people saw my Down syndrome before they saw my abilities. Some assumed I couldn’t compete, be independent or handle responsibility. Early in my career, I got funny looks in pro shops and on the first tees at golf courses, and people asked my parents, “Can she keep up?” I hope others now see that people with Down syndrome can achieve amazing things when given support and opportunity.

Through the I GOT THIS Foundation you’ve introduced nearly 1,000 people to golf. What impact stories from participants have stayed with you the most?

I like it when participants at our clinics and camps discover confidence they never knew they had. Seeing someone go from shy and nervous during the first day of a camp, to proudly chipping or driving a ball and saying, “I GOT THIS!” in front of the group is very cool. At one of our camps, we had a participant with autism whose parents and siblings all played golf, but he had never joined them on the course. After a week of instruction at the camp, he now had the skills to join them.

As someone who’s competed at a high level, how do you define success today, and has that definition changed over time?

I love to perform and compete. In my family we celebrate success, no matter how small. I’ve won many medals in Special Olympics, but in high school, college, and adaptive golf, I rarely win tournaments. But I am a winner just because I’m there. I’m competing, having fun, and doing my best. There is more to winning than medals and trophies.

What advice would you give to young people with intellectual disabilities who want to pursue competitive sports but don’t see a clear path?

Set goals that are possible and achievable. My first goal was simply to play in one varsity tournament before I graduated high school. Don’t let other people’s expectations define you. Find people who believe in you—family, coaches, teachers, teammates, and mentors—and organizations that welcome you, and keep working hard with confidence and determination. You deserve the chance to compete just like anyone else. And have fun!

You’re helping reshape representation in athletics. What changes would you still like to see from institutions like colleges, sponsors and governing bodies?

I would love to see more organizations create opportunities for inclusion. Colleges can create more paths for athletes with intellectual disabilities to compete and be part of athletic communities. Sponsors can help by recognizing the talent, influence and impact athletes with intellectual disabilities can bring. Sports organizations should continue expanding accessibility, adaptive and unified programs, and competitive opportunities. The USGA, for example, does an awesome job of embracing athletes with disabilities through their adaptive golf programs and the U.S. Adaptive Open.

Looking ahead, what’s your biggest goal—on or off the golf course—that you’d like to achieve?

First, I really want to play golf with Nick Jonas and Zac Efron. I also want to keep improving and competing in adaptive golf tournaments across the country and continuing to qualify for the U.S. Adaptive Open each year.

But also I want to help change how the world sees people with intellectual disabilities. Golf gave me a platform, and I want others to have the same chance to build confidence, independence, and purpose through sports and community. Through the Foundation, I hope to grow our programs across the country so more athletes and families can benefit.

Finally, I want to inspire others to believe in themselves and say, “I got this.”